18) THE TOMBSTONE OF VASCO DA GAMA IN FORT COCHIN-MISCONCEPTIONS

Grave Marker of Vasco da Gama in St Francis Church, Fort Cochin

24th December, 2024 marks the 500th death anniversary of Vasco da Gama da Gama. Today, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Fort Cochin is the grave of Vasco da Gama shown inside the St Francis CSI Church, often boasted as the first European church in India. However, not many realize that the actual remains of Vasco da Gama are preserved in the Jeronimos Monastery [Mosteiro dos Jerónimos] of Lisbon in Portugal and what is shown in Cochin is not a grave but a tombstone only. Therefore, what is Cochin's connection to Vasco da Gama’s death? It was in Cochin where Gama died of Malaria on 24th December, 1524, barely three months after his 3rd journey to India. He is said to be buried in the ‘Main Chapel of St Antony’s Monastery’ [Capella mor de Mosteiro de Santo Antonio], which is the current St Francis church. In 1538, his remains were transferred from Cochin to Monastery of Nossa Senhora das Relíquias, Vidigueira in Portugal by one of his sons, where they remained for three centuries. On 8th June, 1880, his remains were brought to St Jeronimos Monastery, where it is preserved now. Thus, although Vasco da Gama was originally buried in Cochin, his body remained there only for 14 years.

Interestingly, St Francis Church is not the only candidate in Cochin named for Gama's burial site. Early Portuguese writers suggested the ‘Monastery of St Antony’ [where the current Head Post Office building behind the St Francis Church is located] and the Santa Cruz Cathedral [no longer exists as the grand Portuguese church was demolished by the Dutch, and followed by the British] as other candidates. An English lawyer, Thomas Chisholm Anstey who visited Cochin in mid-19th century, wrote specifically of the tomb of Vasco da Gama in the Santa Cruz Cathedral, and that it was defiled when the British destroyed the church in 1806. Nonetheless, today, St Francis Church in Fort Cochin is widely accepted as the first burial site of Vasco da Gama.

Another issue is with the current tombstone of Gama on display in the church. For a legendary explorer such as Vasco da Gama, one usually expects a grand epitaph carved with elegant designs. On the contrary, the current simple tombstone has no decorations and other than 7 or 8 faint letters engraved on the top, barely any inscriptions are visible. There is also no trace of the 'Coat of Arms' of the da Gama family on the current headstone. This is surprising considering many of the tombstones preserved in the church are lavishly decorated with heraldic designs and lengthy inscriptions. A possibility is that the inscriptions and designs have faded out significantly. One has to remember that if the original tombstone of Vasco da Gama exists, it has survived 500 years of wear and tear! 

Inscription on the tombstone of Vasco da Gama

17] THE GRAVE OF C. A. [CORNELIUS ARNOLD] SCHIER [d. 1935], VELI CEMETERY, FORT COCHIN

Grave of C A Schier, Cemetery of St Francis CSI Church, Veli, Fort Cochin

In this post, I will write briefly about a German grave in the C. S. I. Cemetery at Veli, Fort Cochin (former British Cemetery). See Grave No. 23 [II Set] in my earlier post on Veli Cemetery here. Though European grave monuments in Portuguese, Dutch and English languages are not uncommon in Kerala, very rarely you find an epitaph in German. The tombstone of 31-year-old C. A. [Cornelius Arnold] Schier who died in 1935 is very concise, yet it gives you details such as his occupation, native place and the exact date of birth and death. Recently, I was contacted by Vera Richter from Germany, who sent me a link to an interesting report on Cornelius and how his grave was rediscovered in 2010 by a close family member. In fact, the Schier family had only received a picture of the fresh grave in 1935 and they saw the picture of the gravestone for the first time after 75 years! The article not only contains details of the family, but also some rare photographs of C A Schier with his daughter and videos. What is more fascinating is that, his daughter 94-year-old Elma Hoek (Schier) is still alive and shares her fond memories. Here is the link to the aforementioned article [German] and special thanks are due to Vera for sending me this important information. Today, Elma lives with her daughter Hille in Paraguay and she was kind enough to reach me sharing details about her wonderful story.

The epitaph of C A Schier

To summarize, Cornelius Arnold Schier was born on October 14, 1903 and was a native of Rhauderfehn, Germany. He was the 2nd officer of the steamer (Dampfer) Liebenfels. Cornelius died unexpectedly (reason unknown) at sea on March 29, 1935 at the age of 31 and was buried on March 30 in Cochin (Veli Cemetery). At the time of his death, Cornelius was left behind his young wife (Gesine Schier, nee Sinning, 27-year-old) and daughter (Elma Hoek, nee Schier, 5-year old). The current grave slab was probably donated by the Hansa shipping company of the ship ‘Liebenfels’.

The register preserved in the St Francis Church at Fort Cochin has information on C A Schier's burial. This register has 8 columns. The columns 4 to 8 has the following details: 4] Surname- Schier; 5] Age- 31; 6] Quality, Trade or Profession, &c &c &c- 2nd officer s/s Liebenfels; 7] When buried- 30th March 1935; and 8] Signature by whom buried-John Francis, C M S Pastor. Unfortunately, details in the first 3 columns, viz. 1] When died; 2] Cause of death; and 3] Christian [first name] are lost irrecoverably as the register is mostly moth eaten and in tatters.